Thursday, April 30, 2015

Best Dad Ever!


Even though the Father's Day deadline for Operation Write Home is today (meaning, cards must have been sent in already), I figure they always have a use for general "dad" cards. So I decided to make this one.

I wanted to make my main panel look like burned leather. (Decoratively burned, that is!) I began by cutting a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper to 4x5.25". After taping it to my cutting board, I wet the middle area with clean water. I smooshed some Distress inks in Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, & Gathered Twigs onto an acrylic block, then used my wet paintbrush to pick up each color, one at a time. I daubed the color into the wet area, letting the water blend the colors (with some help from my brush, of course). When it looked like I wanted it, I dried it with my heat tool. Then I took Hero Arts' "Tweed Pattern" stencil, and taped it down over the panel. I blended some more Gathered Twigs through the stencil, concentrating it more in the center, and letting it fade out at the edges. After removing the panel from my cutting board, I blended some more Tea Dye around the perimeter. Then I tore around all 4 sides, and inked the torn edges with Walnut Stain Distress ink, to give it that aged, "burned" look. I matted it with a piece of patterned paper from my scrap stash, cut to 4-1/8x5-3/8".

For the greeting, I cut a piece of tan cardstock to a strip, and trimmed all 4 corners at an angle. I distressed the edges, and inked them with more Walnut Stain. After scanning it into my computer, I used one of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' "Father's Day Sentiments," digitally placing it on the label "canvas," and sized it to fit. Finally, I printed it directly onto my label. I adhered that to my card front, and punched a hole in either end with my Crop a Dile II. I set a black eyelet in each hole, and threaded some jute twine from The Paper Studio through those, tying each end in a knot. I attached a brad through the upper center of my card front, and ran the twine behind it, so it looks like the label/sign is hanging from that. I squirted a little Ranger Multi Medium Matte behind the twine on each side, just to make sure it stays in place. Finally, I matted the whole thing with black paper, and adhered it to a cream A2-size card base.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

a2z Scrapbooking's "Stencil"
Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Anything Goes"
Virginia's View Challenge #14: "Layers & Dimension"
Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Anything Goes"


8 comments:

  1. It's so nice of you to donate your cards to OWH! I'm sure Sandy will find the perfect spot to include this beauty! This is such a wonderful masculine design and I love how you distressed the front panel! Thanks so much for playing along with us again in April's challenge at a2z!

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  2. What an absolutely fabulous technique! You indeed pulled off the look of burnt leather (classy burnt leather, that is)! It reminded me of the outdoors or of Scouting (where they make cool leather crafts) or even of the "olden days" when leather was used for so many things. This card screams masculinity, yet it also has a sense of elegance to it that I really like. You did an AMAZING job here and I'm so glad you shared this with us for this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!

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  3. Fabulous Fathers's day card.
    Thank you for joining us at Simon says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.
    Luv
    Debby

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  4. This is an awesome "dad" card! :)

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